In many ways, Edward Lansdale can be considered the godfather of modern counterinsurgency. His ideas have in some respects fallen out of favor, but Boot provides one of the most sweeping authoritative, but also positive histories of Lansdale’s life and legacy.

Max Boot is a military historian, foreign-policy analyst and author. He also served as an adviser to U.S. commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan and advised both John McCain’s and Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns and is currently a senior fellow in national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Follow him on Twitter: @MaxBoot

Keith Johnson is FP’s deputy editor for news. He has been at FP since 2013, after spending 15 years covering terrorism, energy, airlines, politics, foreign affairs, and the economy for the Wall Street Journal. Follow him on Twitter: @KFJ_FP